[Space-Time: Second Hokage Time: Year 17 of Konoha Unification Progress: 18%]
Hashirama felt his body sway, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the Hokage's Office and appeared in a dense forest.
Flying Thunder God?
No, this had to be an even more powerful Space-Time Ninjutsu!
Flying Thunder God couldn't transport someone out of nowhere.
Was this the power of this gentleman's Rinnegan?
Could it be a Genjutsu? Hashirama was confident in his ability to recognize one.
Even Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't keep him under its spell for a moment.
If this really was a Genjutsu several times more powerful than Madara's, then he could only accept it.
"Where are we?"
"Seventeen years in the future, in the Land of Lightning."
"The Kumogakure you mentioned is the Ninja Village that was established later in the Land of Lightning?"
"That's right."
Hashirama was deeply shaken. He really had been brought to the world seventeen years in the future? Could this gentleman truly be a deity on par with the Sage of Six Paths?
Even as the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju quickly regained his composure.
After all, he hadn't forgotten his main purpose: to find out how Tobirama had died.
Hashirama closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings.
In an instant, he located Tobirama's Chakra signature in the distance.
Anxious to save his younger brother, he immediately flashed toward it.
Natsu Yuu shook his head. These brother-complex types were such a handful. The moment they heard their "little brother" was in danger, they'd tear the whole world apart for him!
There was no helping it.
As an ordinary person for now, how could Natsu Yuu possibly keep up with Hashirama? He could only activate World Teleportation again.
Several hundred meters away.
Hashirama had just landed on a branch of a towering tree when Natsu Yuu teleported beside him.
He signaled Hashirama to stay quiet and keep hidden for the moment.
Hashirama did so, then looked toward the grassland in the distance.
At that moment, "Universe Two's Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju," was discussing how to escape with his elite guard squad, who had gathered around him.
"That really is Tobirama? He's aged so much! His Chakra isn't what it used to be, either. From the feel of it, is he injured?"
"And those two—are they Monkey and Danzo? There's an Uchiha among them, too? Their auras are all impressive. They look much more mature and dependable. Tobirama's raised himself a fine group of students!"
Hashirama recognized Hiruzen and the others at a glance, marveling silently at how much they had changed.
He was also glad to see how much Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had grown.
"Sir, what's going on with Tobirama and the others?"
Hashirama turned to ask, deeply confused by the situation. This was likely a world many years in the future, and he knew nothing about what was happening.
Natsu Yuu briefly explained.
It was the year 17 of Konoha, during the First Ninja World War.
After Hashirama's death, the Second Raikage had launched a surprise attack on Konoha, only to be driven back by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, and Konoha's forces.
Seeing the tide turn against him, the Second Raikage prepared to negotiate peace. But his subordinates, the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku, objected. The Second Raikage rejected their objections and pressed ahead with an alliance. At the peace conference, Kinkaku and Ginkaku assassinated him. They also ambushed and gravely wounded Tobirama Senju, then continued leading an elite force in pursuit of Tobirama, Hiruzen, and the others.
Too badly wounded to lead all six of his guards to safety, Tobirama had chosen to stay behind as a decoy. He also used the sacrifice of a decoy, who would almost certainly die, to test his subordinates. Danzo had wanted to volunteer, but at the crucial moment, fear had stopped him from speaking up.
Hiruzen then stepped forward, willingly taking on the role of decoy. Tobirama praised him and appointed him as the next Hokage.
In the end, Tobirama died heroically while covering Hiruzen and the others' escape.
Watching the scene unfold below, Hashirama murmured to himself:
"Testing his subordinates at a time like this—that's just the sort of thing Tobirama would do!"
"But he'd already decided that Monkey would be the next Hokage, hadn't he? This test was just to make his teammates trust Monkey more."
"And that boy Danzo—his hands are trembling. He had the urge to volunteer, but he was still afraid of death. That's only natural. Death isn't so easily overcome!"
"Everything Madara, Tobirama, and I did was to keep one generation after another of children from facing such a brutal choice on the battlefield..."
"And Monkey really has grown into a brave shinobi."
"I expect he'll make an excellent Hokage!"
Natsu Yuu sneered inwardly.
Just wait until you see this "excellent Monkey" and his pack of useless members of the Council of Elders. In just twenty or thirty years, they'll have squandered the entire Senju Clan of the Forest.
Then you'll know what "excellent" really means.
But to be fair, Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others had indeed been excellent at this point in time.
Good deeds didn't cancel out bad ones, and their achievements couldn't erase the crimes they'd committed. Nor could the sins of their later years erase what they were doing for the village now.
Before long, Hiruzen and the other five left.
Only Tobirama Senju remained. He began setting traps, acting as a decoy to stall the pursuit force led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
His condition was terrible.
He'd used up most of his Chakra, and his internal organs had been displaced. He'd only managed to maintain the Hokage's dignity in front of Hiruzen and the others by sheer force of will.
He and the Second Raikage had both been careless.
The Second Raikage hadn't expected his own men to betray him. Tobirama hadn't expected the Raikage to be betrayed by his subordinates, either. That was how the peace conference had turned into a trap.
As for the ambush, it all made sense now.
Even Six Paths Madara had been stabbed in the heart by Black Zetsu!
Though badly wounded and left behind as a decoy, Tobirama had no intention of giving up so easily.
He was the mighty Second Hokage, after all. He had to at least cripple Kumogakure's pursuit force, preferably killing one of the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku, to make sure Hiruzen and the others could return to Konoha alive.
If only Elder Brother were still here.
Those clowns wouldn't even have the guts to start a war!
Tobirama sighed as he continued setting traps.
At the same time, up in the tree, Hashirama watched Tobirama's lonely figure and felt a deep pang of sorrow.
He could hardly imagine his proud younger brother so lonely and battered.
"Are those two Kumogakure shinobi, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, really that strong? I've never heard of them."
Hashirama asked in a low voice.
Back when Tobirama had killed Izuna, he'd been incredibly swift. One quick flash, and it was over.
Natsu Yuu briefly explained, "They have the Six Paths Tools and some of the Nine-Tails Chakra. They're about as strong as an ordinary Kage. Normally, your younger brother could beat them both easily..."
"Then why...?"
"I'm guessing he was caught off guard. He 'let his guard down and didn't dodge.'"
"I see!"
Hashirama understood. Ambushes really were despicable.
After a pause, he added, "Tobirama's really gotten rusty. When we get back, I can't let him bury himself in Forbidden Jutsu research anymore. I'll make sure he trains properly and improves his combat skills!"
Just then—
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
Kinkaku and Ginkaku rushed into the battlefield with a group of elite Cloud Ninja.
Seeing the enemies arrive, Hashirama grew anxious.
With his strength, he could tell that, in his current terrible condition, Tobirama probably couldn't beat this Cloud Ninja force.
If Hashirama wanted to save him, he'd have to act!
But could he act?
He seemed to be in a future sixteen years later. Would interfering recklessly cause some kind of disaster?
Hashirama turned to Natsu Yuu, the "possible Sage," his eyes full of urgency, as if seeking his approval.
"Don't rush. Wait a little longer before you step in."
"Let your proud younger brother suffer a bit more first."
A living Tobirama was certainly more valuable than a dead one.
At the very least, he could better preserve Konoha's overall strength and make it easier for this Second Hokage's world to complete its mission to Unify the Shinobi World.
And making him suffer a bit more now would stoke Tobirama's anger, making it easier to persuade him to unify the Shinobi World later.
That was Natsu Yuu's true reason for bringing Hashirama to this point in time.
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